This invention relates to mounting of circuit breakers, and more particularly to a removable circuit breaker mounting arrangement for mounting a circuit breaker to a panel, such as is employed in a transfer switching mechanism for supplying auxiliary electrical power to an electrical load center.
A transfer switching mechanism typically takes the form of a panel adapted for mounting adjacent an electrical load center associated with the electrical system of a building, which is typically supplied with primary electrical power from a utility. The transfer switching mechanism is adapted to supply auxiliary power to the load center from a standby power source in the event of a power outage from the utility. The transfer switching mechanism generally includes a series of circuits, each of which is wired to one of the circuits of the load center, along with a power input arrangement for receiving auxiliary power from the generator. The transfer switching mechanism further includes a circuit breaker associated with each circuit, to limit the amperage supplied to each circuit. Circuit breakers utilized in such transfer switching mechanisms are generally in the form of a body including a pair of rearwardly facing contact members, in combination with a head portion to which a reset member is mounted. An opening is formed in the panel where each circuit breaker is to be mounted, and the circuit breaker body is inserted through the opening such that the circuit breaker head engages the forward surface of the panel. A retainer member is engaged with the circuit breaker body and with the rearward surface of the panel, to sandwich the panel therebetween and to affix the circuit breaker to the panel. The circuit breaker contact members are wired into the circuitry of the transfer switching mechanism in a manner as is known.
While this circuit breaker mounting arrangement is satisfactory in fixing the circuit breakers in position on the panel for wiring into the circuitry of the transfer switching mechanism, it is somewhat disadvantageous in that the circuit breakers cannot be easily removed for replacement in the event of a malfunction or when it is desired to replace a circuit breaker with one having a different amperage limit. In order to accomplish such removal and replacement, it is necessary to remove the retainer member and disconnect the wiring by which the circuit breaker is connected in the circuitry of the transfer switching mechanism. The replacement circuit breaker is then mounted to the panel and wired into the transfer switching mechanism circuitry in the same manner as carried out during initial installation.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a circuit breaker mounting arrangement which enables relatively quick and easy installation and replacement of circuit breakers to a panel, such as for use in a transfer switching mechanism. It is a further object of the invention to provide such a circuit breaker mounting arrangement which is relatively simply in its construction and installation. A further object of the invention is to provide such a circuit breaker mounting arrangement which entails a relatively low cost of manufacture and installation. A still further object of the invention is to provide such a circuit breaker mounting arrangement which entails essentially the same wiring connections as in past installations in which the circuit breaker itself is wired into a circuit.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a mounting member is provided for a circuit breaker which includes a body defining a rearwardly facing engagement surface, a forwardly facing reset member, and one or more rearwardly facing contact members. The mounting member includes a forwardly facing engagement area for engaging the rearwardly facing contact surface of the circuit breaker, and one or more engagement members for frictionally and releasably engaging the contact members when the circuit breaker is moved in a forward-rearward direction to engage the rearwardly facing contact surface of the circuit breaker with the forwardly facing engagement area of the mounting member. The circuit breaker contact members are disengageable from the engagement members upon movement of the circuit breaker in a rearward-to-forward direction relative to the mounting member. Each engagement member includes a connection area for providing an electrical connection to the circuit breaker contact members through the engagement member. The rearwardly facing engagement surface of the circuit breaker is defined by a head portion of the circuit breaker body located toward a forward end of the circuit breaker. The rearwardly facing contact members are in the form of a pair of contact members which extend rearwardly from a rear wall of the circuit breaker body. The forwardly facing engagement area of the mounting member is preferably in the form of a shoulder located toward a forward end defined by the mounting member. The one or more engagement members are mounted to a transverse wall defined by the mounting member located rearwardly of the shoulder. In one form, the mounting member includes a side wall which extends between the shoulder and the transverse wall. The side wall and the transverse wall are configured to define a cavity or recess within which at least a portion of the circuit breaker body is received.
The side wall and transverse wall of the mounting member cooperate to define a socket-type mounting arrangement for the circuit breaker, in which the circuit breaker body is received within a recess defined by the side wall and transverse wall. The socket member is configured to provide access to the reset member when the circuit breaker body is received within the recess. Each engagement member preferably defines an internal portion configured to engage one of the circuit breaker contact members when the circuit breaker body is engaged within the recess, and an external contact portion located exteriorly of the recess for providing an external electrical connection. In this manner, the external contact portions of the engagement members can be wired into a circuit, and the circuit breaker is selectively engageable within the circuit by engaging the circuit breaker contact members with the engagement members.
The mounting member transverse wall is in the form of an end wall defining the inner end of the cavity or recess within which the circuit breaker body is received. The engagement members are mounted to the end wall, and the internal portion of each engagement member preferably includes a slotted area which opens into the socket member recess. The circuit breaker contact members are preferably in the form of a pair of prongs which extend rearwardly from the rear end wall of the circuit breaker body, and each prong is adapted to be received within one of the slotted areas upon application of a push-on force to the circuit breaker. The engagement members may be separate from each other, and each may be in the form of a slot-defining member for receiving one of the prongs, and an extension of each slot-defining member which extends through the socket member end wall and defines an external connection area located exteriorly of the socket member end wall.
Each socket member is adapted for mounting to a panel via an opening formed in the panel, through which the socket member extends. The socket member preferably includes a flange adapted to engage the panel adjacent the opening, and a retainer member is adapted to engage the socket member to retain the socket member in position relative to the panel. The flange is engageable with a first surface of the panel, and the retainer member is separate from the panel and the socket member and is engageable with the socket member and a second surface of the panel, opposite the first surface, to sandwich the panel between the retainer member and the socket member flange to mount the socket member to the panel.
The invention further contemplates a method of mounting a circuit breaker to a member such as a panel, substantially in accordance with the foregoing summary.
Various other features, objects and advantages of the invention will be made apparent from the following description taken together with the drawings.